easy diy chicken feeder
On this page we’ll show you how to create your own easy to use chicken feeder! I have bought and built multiple chicken feeders and this one has become my absolute favorite.
I designed this feeder because I wanted something that was easy for the birds to use, didn’t waste feed, easy to fill, and could hold a large amount of food. We typically buy 50lb bags of chicken feed and have been filling our 4” PVC feeders scoop by scoop for over a year. Eventually I just got annoyed with this cumbersome process and wanted to make something that was significantly easier to use. I wanted to walk up to the feeder, pour in my 50lb bag and walk away. With this design, that is exactly what I can do! After reading this you will be able to make your own feeder and manipulate this design to suit your flocks needs.
This design is so simple, and only requires a utility knife to make! I sealed things up at the end with some calk which made the final product much nicer and only cost a few extra dollars. This feeder should last a long, long time.
Please read all the instructions prior to starting your project!
Tools
- Utility Knife
- Pencil
- Piece of Scrap Wood (2x4 Preferred)
- Calk Gun (Not Required)
Materials
- 13gal Plastic Garbage Can With Lid
- 4" PVC 90 Degree (3 of these)
- Calk (Not required but gives cleaner finish and seals cracks)
cost
About $30 (This will be more if you use a larger garbage can)
Step 1 - Position the pvc elbows
The first thing I did was align the PVC elbows on the garbage can to figure out how I wanted to space the feeding ports. I used a rectangular garbage can with a lid that pops open because I wanted to put it up against our chicken coop in our chicken run. Because of this, I knew I would only be able to cut out three feeding ports. When you are positioning the elbows you want to make sure they are going to be as close to the bottom of the garbage can as possible but not touching the bottom. There needs to be enough room for the food to come up and back into the tubes so the chickens can get to it. The shape of the elbow will prevent the food from coming out of the openings and by design, the chickens will have to stick their heads into the elbow to get the food. If the feeder port is too high the chickens will still be able to eat but, they won’t be able to reach the bottom of the feeder leaving a bunch of wasted food that you will have to dump out before refilling. I found that resting the elbow on a 2×4 positioned the pipe high enough to let food in yet low enough to minimize waste.
PVC pipe on the ground (left) VS. Sitting on a 2×4 (right)
This allows for food to fill up the can and be assessible through the feeding port.
We are positioning the PVC so the hole is in the right spot. The elbow will get pushed through the hole in a later step.
Step 2 - trace the pvc tube
This step is pretty simple. Once the PVC elbow is properly positioned on the 2×4 and in place, trace the outline. This will give you a line to follow in order to cut out a clean hole.
Step 3 - cut out the circles
I recommend drawing all three holes first (or however may ports you choose to make. This garbage can can only support 3 holes) and then cutting them all out. I used a utility knife just to show that it can be done with minimal tools but using a jig saw will make this much easier! If your using a jig saw, make a relief cut with a drill and drill bit first so you have a hole to insert the jigsaw blade into.
Using your utility knife, slowly cut around the hole. Don’t expect to cut all the way through with one cut. Go slow the first time around to create a groove for the knife to follow. Then go back around and make deeper cuts until the hole is complete.
Step 4 - Insert the pvc elbow
Once all of your cuts are made its time to push each elbow through its hole. There really is no science to this, you just have to force it into the hole. However, you may have to go around the hole and cut it a little larger in order to make it fit.
Once the PVC elbow is through the hole make sure the opening inside the garbage can is facing down. This will ensure all of the food stays inside the garbage can. It is okay if it isn’t perfect but if the elbow is positioned incorrectly (facing up for example) food may just come right out of the feeder.
Step 5 - calk and let dry
This step is not mandatory but it will help make the build look a lot cleaner and fill those cracks around the PVC pipe.
Just take some calk and you calking gun and fill around the cracks. Make sure you purchase an exterior or bathroom rated calk. Silicon works best!
Make sure you let the calk dry for 24 hours before putting in the food! You don’t want wet calk all over your chicken feed.
Step 6 - fill and enjoy!
As I said, the reason I designed this feeder was to efficiently use a 50lb bag of food. Simply pop the top, put in your bag, cut it open with your utility knife and empty it into the feeder. Your chickens will love this feeder as much as you do!
I hope you found these instructions easy to follow and use them to make your own efficient chicken feeder!
Please take your time and follow the instructions carefully, especially when using tools of any kind. We are not responsible for any mistakes you may make or injuries caused during the performance of this project.
TERMS OF USE: YOU ACCEPT ALL RISK WHILE FOLLOWING THESE INSTRUCTIONS. BY USING THESE INSTRUCTIONS YOU ACCEPT ANY LIBALITY OF MATERIAL AND SELF. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE/INJURY CAUSED TO YOU OR YOUR MATERIALS WHILE FOLLOWING THSE INSTRUCTIONS.
